Bulbo falcatum - is this a flower spike?
 

Hello,

:scratchhead: I am in need of some help figuring out if this new growth on my Bulbophyllum falcatum is a flower or vegetative spike.

It is emerging from the newest growth and appeared a few weeks ago and but has since stopped growing and is now just hanging out in a sort of suspended animation.

What is it? This is my first bulbophyllum (so she's, ahem :blushing:, gotten alot from the learning curve) and I've had her for a year and a half now. She was in flower when I got her and hopefully there will be another flowering soon, maybe?

Thank you,
Watermelon

I think it's a new growth. About 90% positive it is.

That's still a good thing. New growths means more potential flower spikes. :)

For Bulb falcatum, because they are a rachis type Bulbo, the newly emerging spike would be much more flattened or compressed looking. They would also tend to grow more vertical-ish than horizontal.

Thank you King_of_Orchid_Growing! :p

I'll have to remeber that the flower spikes are more compressed compared to the vegetative spikes.

So what is the "growth sequence" for bulbophyllums?

On my girl she had just finished/matured the pseudobulb that this growth came out of. She was also repotted about halfway through that pseudobulb growth period - and she did throw out new roots, thankfully.

Do they keep shooting out pseudobulbs in rapid succession like that? Or grow a shoot and wait a little bit before finishing - just doesn't seem a good thing evolution-wise, leaving a nice tasty morsel on a stick out there for others to eat.

Thank you,
Watermelon

The speed by which the Bulbos grow is dependent on the species you're dealing with. Some grow very fast. Others grow extremely slow.

But generally speaking, when they're feeling it, they produce lots of shoots for their kind.

They generally produce new shoots from mature pseudobulbs. The size of the pseudobulb doesn't matter as much as the maturity of the pseudobulb. I've had mature pseudobulbs that were stunted grow new shoots.

The new shoots will produce their first true leaf. True leaves will look distinctly different from the bracts they emerge from.

Shortly thereafter, the roots should emerge from the bottom of the new shoot. Sometimes on certain Bulbos, new roots may also emerge along the length of the new rhizome.

The true leaf/leaves will mature and stop growing.

The stem within the bracts will start to swell up from the water that is being brought to the plant from the roots.

The bracts will die back and dry off.

The pseudobulbs will swell up so much that they break the dried bracts/sheaths.

Pseudobulb mature.

Process starts all over again.

Whether the Bulbo blooms from new shoots, along the rhizome, or from mature pseudobulbs will depend on the species.

Blooming is seasonal.

Thank you again for your help.

I think I got it now. I think I was overthinking the complexity.

So they grow like any other orchid - bud swelling, leaf, roots, pseudobulb, flower maybe if it feels like it. :)

I think the long rhizome that it has is what is causing confusion to me and making me think it has some fancy sequence of growth.

I am good now. Thank you for your help. I may be back with more questions but hopefully not.